Friday July 24, 1600 local time (1400 GMT):
Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Norbert Haug (Mercedes), Christian Horner (Red Bull) and Franz Tost (Toro Rosso).

The qualifying and post-race conferences with the top three drivers will take place immediately after the respective sessions.

As always, Formula1.com will bring you full transcripts

Rubens Barrichello, Brawn GP
2008 Qualifying – 17th, 2008 Race – 16th
“Budapest is a wonderful city and there’s always a great atmosphere around the circuit for the race weekend. The Hungaroring has been pretty good to me in the past with one win and a couple of podiums so it’s a track that I enjoy returning to, particularly with a good car as we have this year. Germany and Silverstone have been frustrating races for us, despite the podium at Silverstone, so we will be looking to start the second half of the season afresh this weekend and focus on getting the maximum performance from the car and our upgrades. The Hungaroring is a pretty physical track which combined with the usual high temperatures make it a tough challenge for the drivers but that’s what we enjoy. It’s not that easy to overtake through the slow corners here so it places the emphasis on having a good qualifying session on Saturday and being able to start from as high up the grid as possible. The feedback from the factory is that our upgrades for this weekend should be a step forward so we’re feeling positive going into the weekend.”

Ross Brawn, Brawn GP team principal
“The last two races at Silverstone and the Nurburgring have been frustrating for the team as we have not been able to achieve the full potential of our car at the same time as our competitors have taken a good step forward. However we are confident that the inherent performance of the BGP 001 which was demonstrated during the first half of the season has not disappeared and the problems that we faced were unique to the circumstances of those races. Our focus now is to maximise the performance that we know is in the car whilst continuing to develop improvements which will maintain our championship challenge. We have a significant aerodynamic upgrade for the race in Budapest which will bring performance gains in efficiency, downforce and aero balance but we face a fierce battle and we must continue to improve for the rest of the season. The team has faced many challenges to arrive where we are today and I am confident that we have the people and resources, plus two excellent drivers, to respond and fight to maintain our position of leading the constructors’ and drivers’ championships.”

Giancarlo Fisichella, Force India
2008 Qualifying – 18th, 2008 Race – 15th
“Germany was obviously very positive for the whole team. Yet again we raced very well and got a good finish, coming from 18th to just outside the points. But when you look at the last two races we’re really improving – I came from 16th to 10th in Silverstone and then moved up another seven positions in Germany, not because of the weather but because the team is now genuinely competitive. I feel pretty confident for Hungary as we’re just getting better and better. We can see our pace is much more competitive and we are really racing. I enjoy driving the car and I’m looking forward to this next race. As our qualifying pace has really made a step forward and the Hungaroring is all about where you start and the strategy so I’m very positive of a good finish.”

Adrian Sutil, Force India
2008 Qualifying – 20th, 2008 Race – DNF
“The Hungaroring is a good track, one of the smaller circuits, with a lot of corners so in some respects it’s a bit like a kart track. It is actually challenging as each of the corners are different, some 180 degrees and some long, some in third gear. It’s very bumpy in places, which also makes it a bit more difficult to drive, but overall there’s a good flow to it. Our goal has to be in Q2 again and then I would say get as close as we can to the top 10. We want to stay in the midfield where we are right now. We are always waiting for the points now and we are nearly there. This has to be the goal for the season and the few last races.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India chairman and team principal
“I am confident that Germany was not just a one-hit wonder for us. We always said the first few races would be compromised by the late signing of the McLaren and Mercedes deal but since then we’ve been introducing new upgrades and each one has been a step forward. We had hoped that this progress would be reflected in Silverstone, but due to events on track, we couldn’t show the full potential. In Germany this is what you saw. Over the course of the season so far we’ve calculated we’ve improved by something like 1.7 seconds, which I don’t think any other team has done. It’s been done by solid hard work and not just getting lucky. I genuinely think that we are Q2 contenders for the rest of the season, and with Hungary being a circuit where qualifying is so crucial, we’re in with a shot of a good finish. We’re so close to points we can almost touch them. It has to be soon.”

Nico Rosberg, Williams
2008 Qualifying – 14th, 2008 Race – 14th
“The Hungaroring is a completely different type of track to the Nurburgring. It’s quite slow and twisty, and is a maximum downforce circuit which should suit our car. It will definitely be hotter over there than it was in Germany so we can look forward to a bit of an easier weekend when it comes to set-up as we’ll be able to get the tyres up to temperature. Traditionally, Williams has always gone well round Budapest and I hope that will be the case this year and we continue our strong form. Budapest is a great city. It’s filled with cool bars and restaurants, not that I can go out much, but its really vibrant and so one of the more enjoyable places we visit in the year.”

Kazuki Nakajima, Williams
2008 Qualifying – 16th, 2008 Race – 13th
“The Hungaroring is probably one of my favourites tracks on the calendar. It’s going to be a tough race because of the temperatures in Hungary at this time of year, and just because of the nature of the circuit. It’s a very slow track, a little bit like Monaco in that the corners are all slow and medium speed. Overtaking will therefore be difficult because there aren’t many long straights, so qualifying will be really important. I think we will be competitive there. I know Budapest is a beautiful city but I’ve never really explored it as I haven’t ever had the time. I hope that this year I will have some time to look around, or go out in the evening to a restaurant for a good local meal. It’s always nice when we go to such interesting cities like Budapest, it just makes the weekend more exciting.”

Jarno Trulli, Toyota
2008 Qualifying – 9th, 2008 Race – 7th
“I enjoy visiting Budapest, and the Hungarian Grand Prix is an enjoyable one for me. The Hungaroring is a challenging track from a driver’s perspective because it is very narrow with a lot of corners, even though it is quite a short lap. It might not be one of the fastest tracks on the calendar but it is actually good fun to drive, although you have to keep your concentration because you get punished badly by going off line. It is very close among several teams at the moment so it is difficult to predict what will happen in Hungary but if we can do a smooth weekend with no problems then we will be competitive. The last race weekend was very frustrating for me because we had a lot more performance than the result showed but we are all determined to make up for that with a good points finish in Hungary.”

Timo Glock, Toyota
2008 Qualifying – 5th, 2008 Race – 2nd
“Obviously Hungary is a special race in my career after the podium there last season. That was the first of several strong points finishes for me and I hope another competitive weekend there can get the ball rolling again this year. I am in a positive mood and optimistic I can score again. It was disappointing to just miss the points at the last race, especially in front of my home fans, but I made up 11 places after starting from the pit lane so we have the potential to finish much higher. One of my targets this weekend will be to get a perfect lap in qualifying because that has been an issue in the last couple of races for various reasons. Lap times are really close this year so if you are a tenth or two off your maximum pace in qualifying you can drop a few positions and that makes life harder in the race. We’ll be pushing as hard as possible and I am sure we will bounce back.”

Pascal Vasselon, Toyota senior general manager chassis:
“We are looking forward with optimism to the Hungarian Grand Prix. Even though the Hungaroring is a low average speed circuit it consists mainly of medium-speed corners with very few really slow corners, but still you need plenty of downforce. The track is quite hard on brakes, which is demanding in terms of braking stability and cooling. Also, tyre grip and consistency management can be a challenge because the track surface and lay-out are very specific; it is low grip with high cornering severity. That created a risk that the hard specifications would struggle for grip while the soft specs could suffer severe graining but Bridgestone has reacted so we will use the soft and super soft tyre to avoid that situation. We are likely to face high ambient temperatures this weekend but the cooling efficiency of our car is very good so we can cope with these conditions without degrading the aerodynamic performance.”

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
2008 Qualifying – 6th, 2008 Race – 3rd
“Traditionally this is some sort of a home race for us Finns, because there are so many fellow countrymen on the grandstands. I’ll show up with a new rear wing, which worked really well on Felipe’s car and there’s the possibility that we’ll have further modifications. The F60 should run pretty well at the Hungaroring with its many slow corners; furthermore the temperatures should be slightly higher than at the weekend in Germany: it would be great to gain another podium.”

Felipe Massa, Ferrari
2008 Qualifying – 3rd, 2008 Race – 17th
“I haven’t got very good results at this race but that doesn’t mean I don’t race well there: if you remember last year I had the win in my pocket, but then my engine unfortunately let me down with just two laps to go. It’s a nice circuit to drive even if it’s not really one of my favourites, but ask me how we will get on in this race and to be honest I really don’t know. I hope we can carry on making improvements to our package, carrying on in the same direction as in Germany.”

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
2008 Qualifying – 1st, 2008 Race – 5th
“The Hungaroring is one of the most demanding circuits for drivers because you’re busy throughout the entire lap. It’s a bit like a kart circuit – there are lots of twists and turns and the only place to relax is along the start/finish straight, which is quite short. It’s also quite low-grip which makes overtaking particularly tricky. But I really enjoy the place – I won here in 2007 and was on pole last year. It’s a circuit that really rewards consistent, precise driving – push too hard and you tend to lose rather than gain time. Given the potential we showed in Germany last weekend, I’m hopeful of getting a result that demonstrates the improvement we’ve made over the past few weeks.”

Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren
2008 Qualifying – 2nd, 2008 Race – 1st
“Obviously, I won in Hungary in 2008 so it will be nice to come back to Budapest again. This race is likely to be won or lost in qualifying: you’ve got to be at the front and run an aggressive first stint if you are to succeed in the race. The track is also quite hard on tyres so you need to find a balance that will allow you to look after your rubber until the finish – the softer rubber, in particular, tends to suffer at the end of the race so you have to be careful. I’m really looking to running the team’s new upgrade package this weekend. I had a strong weekend at the Nurburgring and I didn’t let a single car past me in the race – with the improved car I’m really hopeful of getting another strong result at the Hungaroring.”

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal
“While Lewis demonstrated during practice and qualifying at the Nurburgring that our upgrade package appears to provide us with a sizeable step forward in performance, it was frustrating that damage to the rear bodywork left us unable to fully ascertain that benefit in the race itself. For Budapest, both Lewis and Heikki will be equipped with the new package and we are hopeful that it will enable us to mount a more sustained attack towards the front of the field. The Hungaroring is a circuit where we as a team have enjoyed many successes in the past and we travel there this weekend hoping to provide concrete evidence that we’re decisively turning our fortunes around for the remainder of the season.”

Norbert Haug, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Vice-President
“The Grand Prix circuit just outside Budapest is, after Monaco, the one with the lowest average speed. The layout, consisting of more slower corners, where mechanical grip is especially important, should suit us quite well – as demonstrated already in Monaco. However, I currently would consider our technical performance still not good enough to repeat last year’s victory with Heikki – but in any case we at least have been in the lead for a few metres at the Nurburgring – until Lewis’s right-rear tyre was hit which caused a deflated tyre, damaging the underfloor – which prevented Lewis later from achieving good lap times. Everybody in the team is giving it their all to continue the upward trend with both cars.”

Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber
2008 Qualifying – 4th, 2008 Race – 8th
“Hungary is a very special Grand Prix for me. In 2006 I made my debut there, and there are always a lot of Polish fans as Budapest is quite close to Poland. Last year was amazing – it was like being in Poland. The Hungaroring is very special, tricky and physically demanding. Driving the main straight is the only time you can recover. Almost over the entire track you leave one corner and immediately approach the next. Beyond that, it is very hot in Hungary, which makes it demanding for the driver and the tyres. As a lot of corners are quite bumpy, the car’s balance will be another crucial factor.”

Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber
2008 Qualifying – 15th, 2008 Race – 10th
“I’m very fond of the Hungaroring. The track suits me and I also have some good memories of racing there and achieving good results in the past. It was in Hungary in 1999 that I secured an early championship title in Formula 3000, and in 2006 and 2007 I was on the podium for BMW Sauber. We can generally expect high air temperatures in Hungary. That doesn’t bother me from a physical point of view, although the races on this twisty circuit are always exhausting, and it could help us get the tyres into the temperature window to work well. One drawback in terms of grip, especially at the start of the weekend, is always the dust that blows onto the track from the surrounding landscape.”

Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport director
“This year our team heads for the Hungarian Grand Prix with muted expectations. So far our car just hasn’t been fast enough for any top placings. We are nevertheless working flat-out on ongoing development of the F1.09 – for two reasons. This year’s new aerodynamic regulations will remain the same for next season. What we are learning from our present car will flow virtually 1:1 into the concept for the F1.10. Besides that, under the test ban in force, the race weekend offers the only chance to track-test new developments and components. It’s an opportunity that has to be utilised. Beyond that, we naturally want to prove to our fans and, not least, to ourselves that we are also capable of reversing a deficit.”

Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber head of engineering
“After Monaco, the Hungaroring has the second-lowest average speed of all the Formula One circuits. The mainly slow and medium-fast corners follow in quick succession and the start/finish straight is relatively short. Because dust continually blows onto the track, grip levels tend to be low at the beginning of each of the practice sessions, which can lead to understeer. For the car set-up the focus is primarily on the middle sector with its variety of corner combinations. Another factor that has to be taken into account is that the rear tyres come under heavy loads during the race. Air and track temperatures are traditionally very high in Hungary, which should favour the optimal use of tyres.”

Fernando Alonso, Renault
2008 Qualifying – 7th, 2008 Race – 4th
“The memories of my win in 2003 in Hungary are very special as it was also Renault’s first victory since returning to Formula One and it gave the whole team a lot of motivation and self-belief. I always enjoy visiting Budapest as it’s a beautiful city, the people are friendly and there is usually a relaxed atmosphere in the paddock as everybody is looking forward to their summer holidays. It’s one of the slowest tracks of the season and you are almost constantly in a corner so the track is quite demanding mentally and physically, especially with the high temperatures. With so many low-speed corners you need a stable front end because if you understeer wide it will cost you a lot of time. Good traction and mechanical grip are also important to get a clean exit from the slow corners. Overtaking is really difficult and the only real opportunity is into turn one at the end of the main straight, so it’s important that we maximise our performance in qualifying so we can start the race well inside the top ten.”

Nelson Piquet, Renault
2008 Qualifying – 10th, 2008 Race – 6th
“I enjoyed Hungary last year and it was probably one of my best races as I finished sixth. It’s also a circuit where I won in GP2. Although there are no quick corners, it’s a fun place to drive and the twisty layout makes it feel like a go-kart track. It’s still quite challenging and you have to find the rhythm of the circuit and be accurate through the slow corners as the exit of one corner is the entry to the next. Any mistakes therefore cost you a lot of time. I should have the same upgrades as Fernando in Hungary and I think I can be more competitive. As always I will be aiming to qualify in the top ten and hopefully score some points in the race. Qualifying will be vital as it’s so tough to overtake at the Hungaroring because the braking zones are small and it’s very dirty offline, so it’s important that we concentrate on getting the most from Saturday.”

Bob Bell, Renault technical director
“In Germany we only had the new updates on Fernando’s car, but next weekend Nelson will have the same upgrades as Fernando. There will also be some more bodywork updates that should take us another step further forward. Hungary will also give us more time to optimise all the previous upgrades in terms of car set-up, so I expect to see further benefits coming from the upgrade package we introduced in Germany. The problems we have been experiencing with the car in the first half of the year have not been related to specific circuit characteristics and are more general as we were lacking a little bit of performance in all areas of the car. To some extent those deficiencies have been corrected by the recent upgrades and so there’s no reason why we can’t produce a similar level of performance in Hungary as we did in Germany. The Hungaroring is also a circuit Fernando enjoys and has always gone well at so I think he can be competitive again.”

More to follow.

“We achieved our ultimate goal of mixing it in the midfield and trying and push for points-scoring positions, so yes it was very encouraging from that point of view,” said Harlow. “We have a few more parts for Hungary. It’s not the same magnitude as Silverstone, but we’re keeping pace with our development plans and hopefully with the other teams.

“There are some front wing, brake duct and floor developments that we are pushing through. There are also the usual small mechanical changes for Hungary. We will also do a little bit of extra work on the set-up side for that circuit because it’s quite tricky. We’ll also be back on the softer tyres again and I think with this compound we tend to go pretty well. We’re quite optimistic.”

Following this weekend’s race in Hungary, Formula One racing’s traditional summer break will get underway. And even though this year’s regulations require all teams to close their factories for a large part of this period, Harlow expects the team to have another major upgrade ready for August’s European Grand Prix.

“We’re closed from August 3rd to the 16th, and then we go straight to Valencia so pretty much all the work has to be done before the close down,” he explained. “ It’s another upgrade target for us with a slightly bigger package of new parts coming. We will have further changes to the front wing again, and changes to the bargeboard area, and the front of the floor and sidepods.

“Visually it will be fairly different. I thought last year Valencia levelled things a little bit, and we looked reasonably strong there, particularly with Giancarlo (Fisichella). I would hope that we would continue our trend.”

“It was a sensational experience – thank you to everyone!” said Heidfeld after climbing off the bike. “I already had lots of fun practising on the street bike in the morning, and managed to score the first scrapes into the knee area of my racing suit. That was inevitable. Of course I wanted to touch the ground while cornering on the racing machine as well, and I came up trumps there too.

“I had expected the Superbike to be a huge leap over the production version, a bit like series cars and racers, but I was surprised in the end. The difference is huge. On the one hand the Superbike is more aggressive, builds up more grip and has the superior brakes, but on the other hand it is easier to ride because you can control it so well. The handling is very precise. Obviously I’m still miles from the limit with the Superbike; I would love to have done a lot more laps.”

Corser, meanwhile, had the chance to drive Heidfeld’s Formula One car and clearly relished the experience, saying: “It was just awesome! The car feels so balanced and the brakes are fantastic, the tyres have unbelievable grip and the steering is very direct but still has a lot of feeling.

“I can’t believe how hard and late you can brake. I know I was braking too early and I really would like to have a day or two with the car to really see what I can do with it. I’d like to thank everybody involved in giving me this opportunity – and I hope I can do it again.”

Kubica was also in action driving his Formula One car around the short version of the circuit, while Spanish BMW Motorrad racer, Ruben Xaus, demonstrated his skills on his bike before sampling a BMW World Touring Car Championship car. For Theissen the fan support provided a much-needed boost.

“Above all in these difficult times, we are indebted to our partners and fans, and it’s really good to feel this support,” he said. “It’s easy to accept the accolades, and we’ve had plenty of them over recent years. But we must not let the dialogue falter when things get tough.”

Heidfeld, Kubica and Theissen will now journey to Budapest, ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix which will get underway on Friday.

“I would like to thank Red Bull for giving me this great opportunity to race in Formula One,” he said. “Ever since I started racing this has been my dream and thanks to the Red Bull Junior Programme I will now realise my ambition of lining up on a Grand Prix grid.

“I am aware that I’m facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula One is never easy, coming into Formula One in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult. But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team, who have quite a reputation for looking after rookie drivers.”

Born in Barcelona, Alguersuari is the reigning British Formula Three champion and was competing in the World Series by Renault championship this year before being called on to make his Formula One debut.

Over the past few years he as made his way through the ranks of Red Bull’s young driver programme and, as a result, already knows Sebastien Buemi, his new team mate at Toro Rosso, well.

Explaining his choice of driver, team principal Franz Tost said: “Red Bull’s stated aim for Toro Rosso is that, when possible, it should be used to provide a seat for products of its young driver programme. We therefore chose Alguersuari as the most mature driver currently in the programme.

“I am well aware that over the next few months the team and Jaime will face a major challenge, especially because of the testing ban. But Red Bull is always ready for a new challenge. I do not expect anything from him for at least his first three races, during which he has to get used to the car, the team and to the Formula One environment.”

“We will continue to support both drivers equally,” Horner told Red Bull’s official website. “There’s only a point and a half between them, so obviously they are both in contention for the drivers’ championship. There’s a long way to go to catch up with Jenson Button.

“If and when we reach a point where there is a significant gap, or it becomes mathematically impossible for one of them to challenge for the championship, then they are both team players and one of them will play a supporting role should it be required. Our intention is to see both of them catch the lead Brawn as quickly as possible.”

Indeed, rather than worrying about how evenly matched his drivers are, Horner is proud of what he considers to be the best pairing on the current Formula One grid, especially now that Webber appears to have bounced back from the broken leg he sustained during a pre-season cycling accident.

“Our drivers are both at the top of their game at different stages in their career and they are pushing one another very hard,” he concluded. “I think we’ve got the best driver line-up in F1 at the moment. I think it’s only now we are seeing Mark at the level of fitness he was at prior to his injury and his recent results show he is absolutely on the form of his life.

“Sebastian is undoubtedly a star in the making. He shows remarkable maturity, given his lack of experience. He is a prodigious talent who will continue to get better. The best is yet to come from him. Both men are being treated with total fairness within the team and are supplied with identical equipment.”

Webber and Vettel will be back in action for the team at next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, which will take place at Budapest’s Hungaroring from July 24-26.

Bourdais, who has instructed lawyers to review whether Toro Rosso are in breach of contract, said the timing was particularly frustrating as the team are due to debut a heavily-upgraded car in Hungary.

“A new highly competitive racing package will be introduced by the team in order to try and overcome its current difficulties,” he continued. “I am convinced that if I was given the chance to race with such new package I would have had the opportunity to achieve satisfactory results.”

Bourdais, who has scored two points this season, concluded by thanking his fans for their ongoing support. “My motivation is intact and I’ll continue to be strongly committed to my Formula One project, for which I have renounced my career in United States,” he added.

“I think he would be the ideal person to continue but to also extend the work of the last 16 years,” said Mosley of the 63-year-old Frenchman in a letter to the FIA’s member clubs. “He can be relied on in all areas where the FIA is active. I very much hope you will give him your support.”

Announcing his campaign, Todt, who has been involved in motor sport since 1966 and led Ferrari to five straight championships between 2000 and 2004, said: “It is my intention to continue and expand the outstanding work of President Mosley.”

Todt has named New Zealander Brian Gibbons and Britain’s Graham Stoker as his preferred vice-presidential candidates and has proposed American Nick Craw, currently deputy president (sport) of the FIA, for president of the FIA Senate.

“I am confident that together we will offer the FIA the opportunity to elect a dynamic leadership team of outstanding experience and commitment,” Todt added.

At last weekend’s German Grand Prix, ex-world rally champion and former member of the European Parliament, Ari Vatanen, also announced he is to run for the post.

Bourdais joined Toro Roos in 2008, fresh from clinching a historic fourth Champ Car title. But the Frenchman found his maiden Formula One season tough, as he struggled to match the STR3 to his driving style and he was overshadowed by team mate Sebastian Vettel.

He ultimately clinched four points and was retained to partner Sebastien Buemi for 2009. However, this season he has struggled again, failing to qualify higher than 14th and scoring just two points from his eighth-place finishes at the Australian and Monaco Grands Prix.

To read Max Mosley’s letter in full, click here.